That, and clock management, which is a sideline responsibility. Ending the first half with a timeout left was poor, as was Hasselback spending thirty seconds running around calling an audible (or whatever the hell he was doing). That looked Mickey Mouse.
But the worst of the game was the officiating. When the officials are so much a part of the game, something is wrong.
There's an unwritten rule in the National Hockey League when it comes to the refs in the playoffs: you guys don't fight, and we'll let you play.
That's the way it usually works out. There are very few fights once the playoffs start, and penalties aren't called unless they're blatant.
Thus, the NHL playoffs are among the best championship series in professional sports.
Too much interference from the refs in this year's NFL playoffs have made them the worst in my memory.
That was somewhat the case last night as well. There were not many penalties, other than blatant ones that happened right in front of the ref. The only penalty that should not have been called was the chop called against Hasselbeck. And even that wasn't called for his tackle but rather for the blocker that he chopped as he was making the tackle. The refs should have talked that one out a bit and said, the guy he was hitting was the ball carrier even if he did also hit a blocker, so pick up the flag. So one bogus penalty call is hardly enough to say the officiating was the "worst" aspect of the game.
The officiating was nothing to brag about, but I still think QB play was what made this game excruciating to watch. Any QB that won a Super Bowl in the last 20 years (even Dilfer) would have made this a more enjoyable game.